rdck - volume 1, issue 2

J ohn Kettle of Electoral Area B was re-elected to the position of Chair of the RDCK by acclamation. This will be Kettle’s third

consecutive term as chair. Hillary Elliott, director for the Village of Slocan, was returned to the role of Vice-Chair, also by acclamation. “The Board is on a path of change with the hiring of a new Chief Administrative Officer, the completion of the corporate review and the implementation of a new financial software program,” said Kettle.

Kettle pointed out the challenges the district faced in 2012, particularly the unprece-dented number of emergency events, but commended the Board and staff for having done “a stellar job” in handling those and other issues. Both Kettle and Elliott expressed appreciation for their fellow directors’ support and stated their enthusiasm for continuing to advance the Board’s initiatives and priori-ties.

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

On Course 1 Full Bottle 1 New Director 2 About Jimmie 2 Personalities 3-5 Pass Creek 6 Movember 6 RDCK LTSA 7 CBT Funding 8 Slocan Lake 8 Hot Spot 9 Fun & Fitness 9 Burn Smarter 10 Tipping 10 Bulletin Board 11 RDCK Grants 12-13 Directors 14 Contact 14

Staying on Course

Full Bottle

H ave you ever wondered what happens to those bottles you drop off at the Nelson

Transfer Station? The RDCK, in partnership with the Nelson Jr Leafs Recycling Centre, donates the profits that come from those returned bottles to the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation. So far, your returned bottles have generat-ed $7,076.78 this year. In total the program has contributed over $20,000.00 in three years to KLH foundation fundraising efforts. Thank you for continuing to support this program and contribute to your community!

Left to right: Chuck Brind’Amour, Nelson Leafs Board of Directors Vice President; Mayor John Dooley, RDCK/City of Nelson; Director Ramona Faust , Area E, RDCK; Pat Dooley, Chair of KLH Foundation Board of Directors; Lauretta Wilson, Nelson Leafs Board of Directors; Gor-don Davis, Nelson Leafs Board Treasurer; Grant Wilson, Recycling Centre Manager; Ni-

cole Ward, RDCK Environmental Coordinator

Volume 1, Issue 2 December 2012

T he RDCK Board is pleased to welcome Jimmie Holland as the new director for

the Village of Kaslo.

Holland will replace Greg Lay, who will now serve as Kaslo’s alternate director.

Mr. Lay has represented his village at the RDCK since December 2008. Prior to that,

Jim Holland was director for two years.

New Director at the Table

The Communicator Volume 1 , Issu e 1

www.rdck.bc.ca

J immie immigrated to Canada from Tex-

as in 1974 as a journeyman carpenter,

after spending four years at the University

of Houston. While in BC, a love of the wild

mountains called and Jimmie took up tree

planting for 14 years, planting and super-

vising contracts. In 1979 he purchased a

property just outside of Kaslo, built a

home, raised three awesome children and

became a wanna-be local of Kaslo. He

also operated a design-build construction

company for several years in Kaslo and is

currently semi-retired.

Jimmie has been involved in community

service from a young age as a Boy Scout;

the principles of scouting still guide his life

today. As the founder and now Executive Director of the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Society,

Jimmie’s horizons have expanded greatly to include a large appreciation of the im-

portance of arts and culture as an essential element to build liveable and vibrant

communities. He is very active in advocating for festivals and events as President of

the Kootenay Festival and Events Association and enjoys sailing, gardening and his

little homestead on the Back Road.

Jimmie’s engagement in the community led to an interest in municipal politics.

In 2003 Jimmie was acclaimed in a by-election as a Councillor for the Village of Kaslo

and in 2005 he was elected as Mayor. Jimmie sat as the Regional District Director for

Kaslo for three years. Since 2011 Jimmie has been back in municipal politics as a

Councilor for the Village of Kaslo and is very pleased to be back as a Regional Dis-

trict Director for the Village of Kaslo.

About Jimmie…..

We’ve Got Personalities It’s good to be Randy!

R andy Matheson loves the RDCK

and it’s easy to see why--the re-

gional district has provided him with both

his life’s work and the love of his life.

Randy is the go-to guy in the head office

--as the longest serving employee, he’s

the keeper of an abundance of corporate

knowledge and history.

Randy was hired by the district when he

was 17-years old and dreaming of a ca-

reer in forestry. He’d worked in a logging

camp, fought spot fires and even gradu-

ated from Selkirk’s forestry program,

when local government came calling.

“I started as a draftsperson at the RDCK

--we didn’t have computers back then;

all the maps were mylar,” recalls Randy.

Those maps needed to be hand-colored

and that’s where Randy ran into trouble.

“I tried to keep my colour blindness a

secret but the boss figured it out when

all the shading on the map was done in

green.”


http://www.facebook.com/rdcentralkootenay?ref=hl

Randy Matheson - 1979

“It looked okay to me,” laughs Randy.

It wasn’t long before Randy was moved

to the Administration department, where

he’s been ever since.

His first task was to write reports and

provide cost-analyses for new services,

a function he continues to perform and

relish. His work was seminal to the es-

tablishment of a number of the RDCK’s

fire departments.

Along the way, Randy picked up a host

of other skills and roles at the RD, in-

cluding supervising the district’s several

landfills and contractors in the days be-

fore transfer stations. He had to ensure

the sites complied with Ministry of Envi-

ronment standards. He remembers deal-

ing with the current Board Chair when

John Kettle operated the Creston landfill.

Randy also became acquainted with

General Manager of Community Ser-

vices Joe Chirico when Joe was just a

kid building trails for the RDCK.

“I supervised Joe,” says Randy with

pride.

In the 33 years that he’s worked for the

RDCK, Randy has “been through a lot of

Boards and encountered all sorts of per-

sonalities.”



It’s good to be Randy continued….

www.rdck.bc.ca

But one personality in particular has made Randy shine: payroll clerk Janet, whom

Randy met on the job and later married. They have been together for 16 years.

There was a time when Randy worked in finance as well.

“We had this big clunker of an accounting printer that you could hear through the

whole building,” he says. “Computers were a big improvement in our lives.”

Not so long ago, Randy would handwrite his reports and then hand them off to a

typist.

“Now I do my own typing; I just get my colleagues to proof-read and fix it,” he jokes.

He’s witnessed other changes over the

decades, which he recollects as he

pours over old RDCK photos.

“Look at the staff smoking at their

desks,” he says, shaking his head at

the memory.

Then he comes across a photo of the

current head office when it was just a

shell---an interior of bare plywood and

tangled wires.

“Twelve years ago when we moved in-

to this building we thought we’d have more than enough room for years; now we’ve

outgrown it.”

The demand for more services in the district has resulted in more staff in the office.

“There was a time when we didn’t have an environmental services department; well,

I was the department,” he says. “I’ve seen the biggest increase in that area.”

Randy has bid farewell to many of his original colleagues, many of whom have

since retired. Randy is the last of the old guard.

He’s still full of enthusiasm and fresh ideas though, such as the regional transit sys-

tem initiative. “Transit used to be handled off the side of the CFO’s desk, “said

Randy. “The CAO at the time thought it deserved more attention so he gave it to

me.”

Randy Matheson - 2012



Transit is now Randy’s favourite part of his job. His work on the West Kootenay

Transit Committee is bringing the concept of a regional bus service to fruition. De-

spite increasing ridership on many of the smaller systems, Randy knows they are not

sustainable on their own.

When he’s not reviewing transit issues, Randy takes care of the District’s other

wheels.

“Taking on the job of managing the main office fleet was my fault,” he says ruefully.

“I suggested we have a central fleet of vehicles coordinated by one person. The

CAO said ’great’--you’re it.”

In addition to those duties, Randy can be found doing any number of things—from

unplugging a clogged toilet in his role as building manager, to running elections and

referendums in 11 electoral areas as Chief Election Officer, to acquiring land tenures

for all RDCK departments. His uncanny knowledge of the RDCK (he knows the

name of every road in the RDCK) is of great help with these latter duties.

It’s this variety of tasks that keeps Randy at the RDCK. Oh, and then there are his

colleagues.

“One of the best things about being here is the staff.”

He shows his appreciation for his co-workers by sharing his exceptional grilling skills

during staff barbecues and by dressing up as Santa for the RDCK kids. His charita-

ble spirit is also evident during fundraisers.

“I was lucky,” he says. “I got a job in the place where I was born and raised.”

He also got a wife and a lot of friends.

Now, get back to work, Randy!

Written by A. Winje


Movember Fundraiser


R DCK staff donned

moustaches

(natural and not) in No-

vember to boost public

awareness of men’s

health issues.

At the RDCK head of-

fice, Development Ser-

vices’ staff held a spa-

ghetti lunch to raise

money for prostate can-

cer research.

“Initiatives like this raise

awareness, money and

morale.” said Chris Tal-

bot, Administrative As-

sistant/Development Technician. “It’s also fun to see some of your usually clean-

shaven colleagues with a new look!”

www.rdck.bc.ca

Pass Creek Proud

F ive Pass Creek fire department members have been honoured with 30-year Ex-

emplary Service Certificates. Fire Chief Brian Bebelman, Captain Sam Hadikin,

and firefighters John Johnson, Dennis Robinson and Alex Pereverzoff have served

with the Pass Creek fire department since its inception.

“It’s really exceptional and rare to have five

members of one organization celebrating 30

years of service to their community,” said Re-

gional Fire Chief Terry Swan.

Chief Swan has attended firefighting confer-

ences with 3,500 delegates and can never re-

call having seen five firefighters honoured with

30-year awards at once.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said.

“On behalf of the RDCK, I can’t express how

grateful we are of these members’ incredible

dedication.”

Creston & District Community Complex staff left to right: Terri

Goulder, Neil Ostafichuk, Brooke Cherfils & Christie Bullis

RDCK Long Term Service Awards

A t the December meeting, Chair Kettle presented the following RDCK staff mem-

bers with Long-service Awards:

- Grant Roeland, Chief Financial Officer 5 years

- Ric Gerzey, Planner/Planning Technician 5 years

- Linda Malakoff, Accounts Payable Clerk 5 years

- Meeri Durand, Senior Planner 5 years

- Jason Craig, NDCC Building Operations Supervisor 5 years

- Jim Crockett, CDRC Manager of Recreation 5 years

- Edward Gregorich, NDCC Facility Operator 5 years

- Karol Glockner, NDCC Customer Service Representative 10 years

- Shanna Eckman, Environmental Services Secretary 10 years

- Joseph Feit, CDCC Facility Operator 10 years

- Shari Thederahn, Area 3—Gate Attendant 15 years

- Bronwen Wetter, NDCC Programmer—Aquatics 15 years

- Andrea Peet, CDCC Programmer—Recreation 15 years

- Christine Briggeman, CDRC Programmer—Rec & Aquatics 25 years

Congratulation to these fine

employees for their service

and dedication!

Left to Right: John Kettle, Ric

Gerzey, Meeri Durand, Grant

Roeland, Linda Malakoff and

Shanna Eckman.




Need Funding for your Organization’s Project?

2 013 CBT Community Initiative and

Affected Area Program – Call for

Project Proposals

The Regional District of Central Kootenay

will be accepting 2013 project proposals

for CBT Community Initiatives and Affect-

ed Area Program funding from January 14th

to March 4th, 2013.

RDCK electoral area residents and organizations are invited to make applications

for funding through the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiative and Affected Ar-

eas Programs between January 14th and March 4th, 2013.

Please visit the RDCK website at http://www.rdck.bc.ca/corporate/grants/

cbt.html for applications, forms and program information and more details on other

CBT funding please visit http://www.cbt.org


Slocan Lake Community Values Survey

T he Slocan Lake Stewardship Society will appear as a delegation at the January

17th Open Regular Board meeting. The Society will present the findings of the

Slocan Lake Community Values Survey. The public is invited to attend.

www.rdck.bc.ca

Photo of Slocan Lake courtesy of Tracy Gordon of Slocan City, BC

http://www.rdck.bc.ca/corporate/grants/cbt.html

http://www.rdck.bc.ca/corporate/grants/cbt.html

http://www.cbt.org


Hot Spot

T he Regional District of Central Kootenay Fire Chiefs Association at one of its

quarterly meetings. Members include RDCK Fire Departments, Municipal Fire

Departments, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, regional Critical Incident Stress

Management Team members and Ministry of Forests South-East Region Fire Cen-

tre. The group discusses common fire service issues. The current hot item is the

adoption, in principle, of a proposed regional Firefighter accountability system, which

provides standardized on-scene personnel monitoring. This system enables firefight-

ers and First Responders to be tracked at an emergency scene, thereby potentially

saving lives.

RDCK Fire Chiefs Association—Quarterly Meeting


Fun and Fitness

S almo & District Fitness Centre is pleased to be offering their first edition of their

Leisure Guide highlighting all their planned programs for the Winter 2013 sea-

son! The hope is to bring awareness of the opportunities that exist within Salmo &

Area G and this communication tool will be instrumental in making that possible.

Salmo Recreation invites you to come out

on Jan 10th from 6-7:00 pm to see the

Nelson Rhythm Ropers and professional

Hula Hooper Jen Cookson perform at the

Salmo Secondary School Gymnasium.

Admission is $2.50 per person or $5 for a

family of 3 or more. Children 6 and under

are FREE! Proceeds will go towards sup-

porting our upcoming programs.



Burn Smarter, Live Cleaner

Lister—Pump House

Woodstove Exchange Program Heats Up for the Fourth Year in a Row!

Is there a direct correlation between the tipping charges at RDCK sites and the

prevalence of illegal dumping within the region?

A small minority of people dump illegally

regardless of tipping fees. The RDCK

takes this issue seriously, and within our man-

date we have a number of ongoing initiatives

related to mitigating the effects of illegal dump-

ing. Others are planned as part of the imple-

mentation of the RDCK Resource Recovery

Plan.

Currently the RDCK Resource Recovery services comprising landfill, transfer sta-

tion and recycling operations are funded through a combination of tipping fees and

tax requisition. The “user pay” system of tipping fees means that those who gen-

erate more garbage carry more of the system costs for managing wastes. The ap-

plication of tipping fees at waste facilities is

a standard practice in most jurisdictions in

North America and the RDCK has had tip-

ping fees in place for at least the past 15

years. This user-pay approach also pro-

vides incentives for waste diversion and

eliminates cross subsidization of activities

within the waste management system.

www.rdck.bc.ca

D o you long to curl up in front of a warm and efficient woodstove this winter? If so, then the RDCK invites you to participate in the Woodstove Exchange

Program. The program is open to residents of the RDCK and participating municipalities. Fifty rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Exchange your old, uncerti-fied wood stove (pre-1994) for a new, EPA emission certified wood, pellet or gas heating appliance then dispose of your old stove at an RDCK waste facility to re-ceive a rebate of $350. New stoves reduce smoke by 70% and use 1/3 less wood. Save money, burn cleaner and keep warm! For more information, please contact Vicky Issott at 1-800-268-7325 (ext. 8161) or email [email protected]

Also, check out a more detailed description at: www.rdck.bc.ca

Q & A—Tipping & Trashing

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.rdck.bc.ca


Disposal fees are reviewed on

an ongoing basis by the

RDCK Board and adjusted

with consideration for budget

requirements and/or policy

objectives. Due to the fair-

ness inherent in the user-pay

system and the desire to

maintain current taxation lev-

els for Resource Recovery

services, it is difficult to fore-

see a time when tipping fees

would be eliminated at our fa-

cilities.


In 2010 the RDCK developed the Resource Recovery Plan, a

comprehensive long-term strategy for managing the region’s

waste. Development of this Plan included an extensive public

consultation process and the public was directly invited to par-

ticipate in plan development. In addition to identifying specific

projects and development of our facilities, the Plan outlines a

broader policy framework to assist in decision making and

evaluation of programs and services. The Resource Recovery

Plan includes the following statement:

“The promotion of the user pay principle shall be incorporated

into RDCK programming where feasible in order to reduce the

portion of Resource Recovery system funding coming from tax

requisition. “

Bulletin Board

Public is welcome to attend.

BOARD MEETINGS January 17, 2013 9:00 a.m. February 28, 2013 9:00 a.m.

HOLIDAY CLOSURES

The Nelson, Nakusp and Creston offices will be closed on the follow-ing dates: Nakusp Office: Dec 14—Dec 28 Creston Office: Dec 24—Dec 28 Nelson: Dec 24, 2012 Nelson: Dec 25, 2012 Nelson: Dec 26, 2012 Nelson/Creston: Dec 31, 2012—closed at 2pm Nakusp: Dec 31—closed all day Nelson/Creston/Nakusp: January 1, 2013

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Rural Affairs Committee January 16, 2013 10:30 a.m. February 27, 2013 10:30 a.m. East Resource Recovery Committee January 10, 2013 10:00 a.m. (Meeting held in Creston)

West Resource Recovery Committee January 10, 2013 2:00 p.m. Central Resource Recovery Committee January 16, 2013 2:00 p.m.

Meetings are held at the RDCK Office 202 Lakeside Drive, Nelson, BC



RDCK Grants DISCRETIONARY

Area A

Crawford Bay Hall & Parks $1,000

Board

Creston Valley Bird Fest $500 Committee

Area B

K.C.C.S $500

Area H

WE Graham Community $1,000

School

Area J

Castlegar Novice Hockey $600

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Area A

RDCK Sustainability Service $5,000

(Boswell Fuel Management Project)

Area B

Lower Kootenay Bank $750

Christmas Food Drive

Area E

Balfour Senior’s Association $25

RDCK Sustainability Service $5,000

(Harrop Fuel Management Project)

LVR Secondary School $1,300

Balfour Recreation Commission $3,000

Area F

Nelson Curling Club $500

LVR Secondary School $1,500

Area H

WE Graham Community Service $4,500

Society

Area J

Apex Geoscience Consultants $585

www.rdck.bc.ca



John Erickson (Deer Park) $2,500

Ministry of Forests $1,500

Tysig Ecological Research $106

Area K

Nakusp Secondary School $1,500

Burton Seniors Branch $1,000

Burton Community Hall Board $900

Nakusp Public Library $1,800

Summit Lake Ski Hill $1,750


Regional District of Central Kootenay

Box 590, 202 Lakeside Drive

Nelson, BC V1L 7B8

Phone: (250) 352-6665

Toll Free: 1-800-268-7325

We’re on the web at www.rdck.bc.ca FRIEND us on

HOW DO YOU SEE THE KOOTENAYS?

If you have taken a photograph that rep-

resents life in the Kootenays and

would like to share it with the RDCK in

this newsletter, please submit your pic

to [email protected] It might appear in

our new feature “The View from Here.”

Board of Directors Garry Jackman Area A

John Kettle, Area B (Chair)

Larry Binks Area C

Andy Shadrack Area D

Ramona Faust Area E

Ron Mickel Area F

Hans Cunningham Area G

Walter Popoff Area H

Andy Davidoff Area I

Gordon Zaitsoff Area J

Paul Peterson Area K

Lawrence Chernoff Castlegar

Ron Toyota Creston

Greg Lay Kaslo

Karen Hamling Nakusp

John Dooley Nelson

Ann Bunka New Denver

Ann Henderson Salmo

Leah Main Silverton

Hillary Elliott Slocan (Vice Chair)

The Communicator is a monthly publication of the RDCK.

Comments? Questions? Suggestions: Contact the editor at (250) 352-8166 or [email protected]

Editor/Writer: Anitra Winje Designer: Angela Lund

mailto:[email protected]

rdck - volume 1, issue 2

Documents

rdck board

new director

bulletin board

rdck ltsa

rdck grants

executive director

village of kaslo

rdck pat dooley